Grateful For The Small Things

 To see small things you have to slow down in life and over the last year especially life has greeted me with pace that has had me appreciating the small things on a whole new level. This all came to a sweet understanding just the other day as I sat in my Nanna's home remembering her life and sitting in memory of the days just gone. My darling Nanna passed over to eternity just a couple of weeks ago and as I was going through her handbag I found the tiniest little bible. I mean this thing was crazy small and could sit like quarter in the palm of your hand. It was quite thick, after all it was the entire bible, but here it was a little token of my Nanna's faith that she carried around with her everywhere. It really got me thinking about the small things in life. Of course, this tiny little bible wasn't that practical but it represented such a journey. It spoke to me of a God hidden in tiny things always inviting us into a conversation of gratitude in every circumstance.

My Nanna didn't always have a faith but in the last number of years she came to know a God of heaven and earth in ways that taught her the beauty of love, forgiveness, and grace. It was a joy to sit with her and hear how she knew that God was real. It was the small moments of lighting candles and saying a prayer that will remain close to my heart as I remember her tenderness around matters of God and knowing she was a child of a Heavenly Father. My Nanna was 96 when she passed and it is amazing to think of just how much life she saw. She served in the war, as did my grandad who also passed at 96 last year. She had three children, seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren. She was also a fabulous artist and I thought I would share one of her pieces of art on this months blog.

As I have been thinking about gratefulness over the last few weeks I have been struck by how many times I say, "thank you Abba" in the course of a day. This is the name that I most often interact with God by, Abba, Father. I thank God for so many small things. From the feeling of sitting down at the end of the day, to the timing of a busy week all going to plan, to the taste of a lovely meal, or the smell of an essential oil. I am grateful for the invitation to be grateful and remember I am not alone. I am grateful for the memories of loved ones, things left behind in their memory, and the legacy that lives on in me and the rest of the family. I am grateful for the boxes of used pastels that my Nanna used to create with, I am grateful for the countless tins of thumb tacks that we found in the garage that my grandad would have stored away. I am grateful that I get to draw you to the attention of the small things in your everyday life that indeed make up many big things.

It seems to me that as we learn to see and be grateful for the small things of life we will grow in capacity to be generous, kind, and observant of others needs. I truly believe that as we are grateful for the small things of life we will feel more joy than ever before. May you be blessed with a grateful heart this day and as the years continue for you and the ones you love.